AC Milan closed out a frustrating campaign with a 2-0 win over Monza on Saturday, but any joy from the result was dampened by widespread fan protests targeting the club’s ownership and leadership.
Matteo Gabbia headed home after the break at San Siro, before João Félix added a second with a clinical free kick, helping Milan climb to seventh in the Serie A standings.
However, the result was overshadowed by pre-match demonstrations, as thousands of supporters gathered outside the club’s headquarters to voice their anger.
Their discontent stemmed from Milan’s failure to qualify for European competition and their loss to Bologna in the Italian Cup final.
Inside the stadium, the protests continued. Chants echoed around the San Siro, aimed squarely at American owner Gerry Cardinale.
“Cardinale, you have to sell. Get out,” the fans shouted.
Expectations had been high at the start of the season with Milan considered title challengers, but they finished a staggering 19 points behind champions Napoli.
Discontent had been brewing among fans from the onset, particularly over the appointment of Paulo Fonseca.
The Portuguese manager was replaced by fellow countryman Sérgio Conceição in December, with Milan sitting in eighth place at the time.
Though Conceição made a promising start by clinching the Super Cup, the team’s league performance remained inconsistent, and their Champions League journey ended in the group stage.
Saturday’s protests also saw RedBird Capital’s Cardinale, Chairman Paolo Scaroni, CEO Giorgio Furlani, senior advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and technical director Geoffrey Moncada all come under fire from angry supporters.
Fans also demanded the reinstatement of club legend Paolo Maldini, who was dismissed from his role as technical director in 2023—a move that has further soured relations between the board and the Milan faithful.
As part of their protest, the Curva Sud fans arranged themselves to spell out “Go Home” inside the stadium before staging a mass walkout just 15 minutes into the match.
“Among our fans there is disappointment, regret, anger and frustration, these are all feelings that we also feel. Do not think that this is not the case,” Furlani told DAZN ahead of the game.
“The season ends today and next week we start again.”
Attention now turns to decisions regarding Conceição’s future, with supporters demanding major reforms to restore the club’s status.
Adding salt to Milan’s wounds, their archrivals Inter Milan are set to face Paris Saint-Germain in next weekend’s Champions League final—a painful contrast to a season that left Milan fans disillusioned and demanding change.
